Chorley, UK | ‘End of an era’ as beloved Malcolm’s Musicland shop permanently closes after half a century: Much-loved owner Malcolm Allen tragically died earlier this year after a decade-long cancer battle. A beloved record store that has served music fans in Lancashire and beyond for more than half a century has ‘permanently closed.’ Known to many as ‘Mr Chorley’, Malcolm also gave service to town as chairman of Chorley Traders’ Alliance and as a parish councillor. Hundreds of people attended his funeral earlier this year including local MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle. The store’s Facebook profile picture was updated on Thursday night (December 11), showing a mocked-up image of the late Malcolm in the window of the shop, along with the words ‘permanently closed.’
Keynsham, UK | ‘Cult’ record shop to relocate: After a decade serving vinyl enthusiasts, cult record shop Longwell Records has decided to move to new premises. The Keynsham-based shop will relocate to Clifton Arcade, bringing its 10,000-strong collection, which includes some rare EPs and LPs. Owner Iain Aitchison, who was born in Southmead, spent nearly 30 years working in the NHS supporting people with substance abuse before opening the shop, which previously occupied a shipping container at Wapping Wharf. Speaking to Bristol24/7, Aitchison said the move from Temple Street in Keynsham represents a “bittersweet but necessary” evolution for the business. “We are so sad to leave Keynsham but after ten years, I felt it was time to be in an area with a better footfall,” said Aitchison.
Grand Rapids, MI | 5 hidden gem businesses in Grand Rapids to shop local for holiday gifts: Della Soul Records. Grand Rapids resident Della Marie Levi opened Della Soul Records in November 2023. Levi said there are two reasons for opening the vinyl record and cultural gift store at 1220 Kalamazoo Ave. SE.: to learn how to DJ on vinyl and the joy her late father felt while listening to records when she was a child. “It was so important learning the old school way because I grew up listening to DJs on vinyl,” she said. Customers walking into Della Soul Records can expect a comfortable space with dim lighting, equipped with plenty of seating, TVs and local artwork. The vinyl collection in stock consists of different genres Levi likes, including old-school hip-hop, new-school, R&B, jazz, adult urban contemporary…
Gen Z’s search for decorative collectibles is fueling vinyl sales: Vinyl records are popular again, but it’s not just audiophiles or nostalgic boomers fueling the resurgence. Gen Z is playing an outsized role in the revival of vinyl sales, which have grown on average by 18% annually in the past five years. About 60% of Gen Z say they buy records, according to Futuresource Consulting’s Audio Tech Lifestyles report. But Gen Z isn’t necessarily buying records for their unique sound. Around 40% of record buyers in the United States don’t own a turntable, noted James Duvall, principal analyst and head of entertainment at Futuresource Consulting. Fifty-six percent of Gen Z fans like vinyl for its aesthetic, while 37% use it as home decor, according to a Vinyl Alliance survey. It’s part of what Jared Watson, an assistant professor of marketing at New York University, calls “symbolic consumption.”
Washington, DC | DVDs and CDs are becoming cool again, thanks mostly to Gen Z: Consumers of all ages are looking to discs to get offline and away from algorithms, and for a younger generation, it’s seen as “vintage.” Dan Levine loves watching his guests light up when they see his DVD-lined bookcases and drawers in his Brooklyn apartment. It’s as if they’ve traveled back in time to 2006, he said. “It is a really powerful thing to show that I still take pride in owning things that make me happy,” Levine said. The 30-year-old estimates he has over 500 DVDs. And that’s not including his modest collections of CDs, VHS tapes, vinyl records, cassettes and 8-tracks. Since the 2010s, streaming has dominated media consumption, and with that, sales of DVDs and CDs have sunk. And yet discs are still circulating in retail, and in some cases, demand is reviving—particularly from collectors.
Watch a recording lathe from 1958 cut a lacquer master record: Most of us are familiar with vinyl LPs, and even with the way in which they are made by stamping a hot puck of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into a record. But [Technostalgism] takes us all the way back to the beginning, giving us a first-hand look at how a lacquer master is cut by a specialized recording lathe. Cutting a lacquer master is the intricate process by which lacquer disks, used as the masters for vinyl records, are created. These glossy black masters—still made by a company in Japan—are precision aluminum discs coated with a special lacquer to create a surface that resembles not-quite-cured nail polish and, reportedly, smells like fresh paint. The cutting process itself remains largely unchanged over the decades, although the whole supporting setup is a bit more modernized than it would have been some seventy years ago.
Indianapolis, IN | Back to: Small Studio Signal Boost. A conversation with two members of Purdue’s Vinyl Club. Radio intern Brylee Stubbs joins us to share a conversation with two members of Purdue University’s student-led Vinyl Club. They talk about why physical media is making a comeback with a younger audience and share some of their favorite records. Drew DeBoy, keyboardist for the Indianapolis band Everything, Now!, also works at Luna Music as their used record buyer. He stops by to talk about his life working in a record store and shares five of his favorite songs for fall.
Saint Laurent’s Advent calendar featuring 24 vinyl records contains a luxe secret (or six): Never one to do things by halves, Saint Laurent has called upon its highbrow Rive Droite house—the fashion giant’s cultural hub that goes beyond threads alone, in contrast to its Rive Gauche boutiques—for what might be the chicest Advent calendar we’ve seen in years. Conceived and curated by Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello, it’s essentially a vinyl box set of 24 records—one for each day leading up to Christmas—with quite the diverse selection on hand: from exclusive Saint Laurent records to other meticulously chosen releases, the intention is to form a tribute to music across distinct eras and “showcase the artistry of analogue sound.” But the surprises don’t stop there.
Spin Your Way to Stars Hollow with This ‘Gilmore Girls’ Vinyl: Fall at full volume. It’s Gilmore Girls fall, y’all! Just as the series’ official soundtrack hits streaming for the first time ever, Mutant is teaming up with Warner Bros. to transform your turntable into a town troubadour. Fans can get cozy, grab a coffee, and spin into Stars Hollow with two limited-edition vinyl pressings of the soundtrack. The Coffee, Coffee, Coffee edition features all 18 tracks on a warm, chocolate brown record, perfect for late nights at Luke’s. If you identify as an autumn, Mutant’s web exclusive swirls with the bright reds, yellows, and oranges of crisp Connecticut leaves. Featuring tracks like “Reflecting Light” and Sam Phillips’ iconic “la, la, las,” this album basically fall at full volume—just watch out for local noise ordinances!
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